Where Is Zhang Weili From? Ethnicity, Nationality, & More

2-time UFC strawweight champion, Zhang Weili is back in action at UFC 312, putting her title up for grabs against the undefeated Tatiana Suarez. Already a legend of the 115-pound division, ‘Magnum’ has been at the top of her game for years now, garnering a massive fan base worldwide, and making people want to know the UFC star on a more personal level.

Given Zhang Weili isn’t as vocal as some of the other champions on the UFC roster, there isn’t much known about who the 25-3 fighter is. Now that she’s one of the top stars in focus ahead of this weekend’s PPV, here is some information that will help you know the UFC strawweight champ a little better.

What race is Zhang Weili? Is she Chinese?

Yes, Zhang Weili is a Chinese national and is, in fact, the first Chinese and Asian fighter to win UFC gold. Born on August 13, 1989, in Handan, Hebei, China, the reigning UFC champion was born into a family where she is the only professional athlete. Weili proudly brings out the flag of China whenever she fights, representing both her culture and people.

When it comes to Weili’s ethnicity, we can’t be too sure about it since she hasn’t mentioned anything about it publicly. But what we do know is that her birthplace is home to the people of Han Chinese, Manchus, Huis, and Mongols communities, so she could belong to any one of those groups.

“Magnum’s parents, meanwhile, may not boast any sporting background, but they have a martial arts background and it was them who introduced the 35-year-old to combat sports. Here’s what we know about Zhang Weili’s parents.

Who are Zhang Weili’s parents?

Zhang Weili’s parents lead a rather normal life, especially her mother, who’s a homemaker. When it comes to her father, he worked a blue-collar job. To be more exact, her father worked as a miner. They wanted their daughter to have the knowledge to be able to defend herself, and she was just six years old when they made her start her combat training.

As she grew into prominence and started racking up wins and making her name in MMA, her brother started working in the same gym where she trained in China. Before that, Weili’s brother used to have a gold trading gig. Meanwhile, ‘Magnum’s early life is pretty interesting to look at because the sport she used to compete in before MMA was native to her country.

All about Weili’s early life and background

Much like Alex Pereira and Israel Adesanya, Zhang Weili also has a background in kickboxing, but there’s a little twist in it. Her previous sport is known as Sanda, which is a Chinese version of kickboxing in which the rules differ from the traditional one. “I loved Sanda which is a Chinese form of kickboxing that combines traditional kickboxing techniques with wrestling, takedowns, throws, sweeps, kick catches, and in some competitions, even elbow and knee strikes,” Zhang Weili told ‘Fighters Only’ magazine.

However, she hit a roadblock in her Sanda career as she had to retire due to a serious back injury. This would ultimately lead her to take up other jobs like being a receptionist, a bodyguard, and even a teacher, among a few others, but her thirst for combat sports never faded away. Weili started looking for an appropriate career path and her parents urged her to stop fighting due to concerns about her health, which, according to the UFC champion, was ironic.

Zhang Weili convinced her parents that the only thing she wanted to do was fight. At 24 years old, after drawing inspiration from Ronda Rousey, she immersed herself in mixed martial arts training with pure dedication. ‘Magnum’ maybe 35 five years old, but she’s not showing any signs of slowing down, and this weekend, she has another opportunity to further her ambitions and cement her legacy in the strawweight division by taking out a decorated grappler in Tatiana Suarez at UFC 312.